Author: Katharine Jordan

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has debuted in Madrid with the opening of the Sheraton Madrid Mirasierra Hotel & Spa. Owned by Comercial Mirasierra Group, the hotel is part of Starwood’s strategic multi-billion expansion plan to open more than 60 Sheraton hotels around the world in the next three years.

Located in the residential area of Mirasierra near the buzzing city center, the Sheraton Madrid Mirasierra Hotel & Spa comprises 180 spacious guest rooms, each featuring the brand’s signature all-white Sheraton Sweet Sleeper® bed, an all-day dining restaurant, lobby bar, terrace lounge and pool bar. The hotel also offers Sheraton Fitness programmed by Core Performance, a spacious spa as well as an indoor and outdoor pool. For business travelers, the hotel features a fully-equipped business center and over 13,000 square feet of meeting space including a ballroom of approximately 9,000 square feet and eight meeting rooms. The hotel also offers Sheraton Club rooms and Lounge and the brand’s signature Link@SheratonSM experienced with Microsoft, a unique communication hub delivering the technology modern guests expect and require while on the road.

Tourist arrivals in May were up 2.5% over May last year, maintaining the upward trend of the previous two months after a dip in the first months of the year. The figures for May show a drop in arrivals from the UK which was outweighed by sharp increases in arrivals from Germany and Italy. The NSO said tourist arrivals in May reached 133,659. Total nights spent by tourists rose by 12.1 per cent, bringing the average length of stay to 7.5 nights.

Holidaymakers comprised the absolute majority of inbound tourists, and registered an increase of 7 per cent. However, a notable decrease was observed among those travelling for business purposes, the NSO said. In line with previous months, 87 per cent of inbound tourists came from EU Member States and in particular from the euro area. Tourists from outside the EU increased over last year, reaching 17,936.

The main market for inbound tourists remained the UK, with a share equivalent to 30 per cent of the total. Second was the Italian market, with a share of 12 per cent. The British market registered a decrease of four per cent, while Germany and Italy experienced increases of 14 and 19 per cent, respectively. During May, inbound tourists spent a total of over one million nights in Malta, up by 12 per cent when compared to 2011. In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in collective accommodation establishments and in particular in hotel accommodation. Nonetheless, a substantial increase of 30 per cent in the use of private accommodation was recorded.

Despite increased and stringent requirements for achieving a Danish Green Key certification, a record breaking 64% of all hotel rooms in Copenhagen are now eco-certified. And the green hotel boom continues.

Copenhagen is a recognised pioneer when it comes to sustainable meetings, a status which is underlined by the fact that 64% of the city’s hotel rooms now hold official eco-certificates.

The most prominent eco-certification in Copenhagen is the Green Key, which accounts for 48% of eco-certifications in Copenhagen. During the last quarter of 2011, the requirements for a Green Key were increased further as Mikal Holt Jensen, head of the Green Key Secretariat at HORESTA (the Danish trade association for the catering, hotel and hospitality industry), explains:

“Our demands have been optimised, for example in relation to reducing water use, the use of organic products, eco-friendly cleaning materials and focus on reducing the use of electricity and heat.”